SDL_GETRENDERMETALCOMMANDENCODER(3)

✨ SDL_GetRenderMetalCommandEncoder ✨

okay so bestie, we're in the SDL3 FUNCTIONS section of the manual and today's main character is SDL_GetRenderMetalCommandEncoder 💅

🎀 NAME 🎀

SDL_GetRenderMetalCommandEncoder — grab the Metal command encoder for the current frame. that's it, that's the vibe 🦋

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <SDL3/SDL_render.h>

void * SDL_GetRenderMetalCommandEncoder(SDL_Renderer *renderer);

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so like, this function hands you back a void * — and yes that's on purpose, because SDL doesn't want to have to include Metal's headers 😌 but ngl you can safely cast that thing to an id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder>. no cap.

It will return NULL if Metal refuses to give SDL a drawable to render to 😭 which, lowkey, can happen if the window is hidden, minimized, or offscreen. literally the worst.

⚠️ heads up: this doesn't apply to command encoders for render targets, just the window's backbuffer. and CHECK YOUR RETURN VALUES! like fr fr, don't be out here dereferencing NULL, bestie 💀

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🫶 FUNCTION PARAMETERS 🫶

• renderer — the renderer to query. that's the one, that's the only one ✨

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👑 RETURN VALUE 👑

Returns an id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder> on success 🎉 or NULL if the renderer isn't a Metal renderer, or if there was an error 🙈

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🌈 THREAD SAFETY 🌈

This function should only be called on the main thread. no side quests, no background threads, stay in your lane 🧚

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⭐ AVAILABILITY ⭐

This function is available since SDL 3.2.0. iconic behavior, honestly 🍓

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

• SDL_GetRenderMetalLayer(3)

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and that's the whole page, bestie, you ate that 🎀✨ this was brought to you by Simple Directmedia Layer, version SDL 3.4.18, and the page SDL_GetRender...ommandEncoder(3) — go forth and render, mwah 💅🦋